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Zap2it On the Scene: Winter TV Press Tour
ABC's 'Wicked': No script yet, just a 'fabulous idea'
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ABC has barely started development on a limited-series project based on "Wicked," but based on the response at the TV critics winter press tour Monday (Jan. 10), it's not going to have much trouble attracting buzz.The project, based on the Gregory Maguire book-turned-musical which makes "The Wizard of Oz's" Wicked Witch of the West the heroine, was announced over the weekend. Salma Hayek will executive produce what's reported to be an eight-hour miniseries; Erik Jendresen, a veteran of HBO's "Band of Brothers," is writing it.
That's about it as far as details go, but ABC Entertainment president Paul Lee still got several questions about "Wicked," including whether it would conflict with an "Oz" movie Disney has in the works.
"[There are] no concerns at all" on that front, Lee says. "It's sort of a fabulous idea, and it goes back to the book more than the musical. So it's epic, it's romantic, and it's very much within our brand. ... We're in the development stage. I don't know if we're going to get there, but the notion of having it resonate elsewhere in the company -- that's a very good thing for us."
Jendresen hasn't submitted a script to the network yet, so we're a long way from any version of "Wicked" making onto ABC's air. Which means it's probably a little premature to be asking Lee about how he'll schedule it, or whether this signals a return of the miniseries on network TV. Lee got that question anyway, though, and used it to expound on the risk associated with running a TV network.
"I think it's a balance. I think inherently that these networks [and] television ... is a risky business," he says. "... Some of the most fun things you do are things you've never seen before. Some of the best writers have tones and attitudes that are unexpected, and I'd like to encourage that."
What do you think of a "Wicked" miniseries? Do you like the idea of basing it more on the book than the musical?
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The musical was better than the book, but I'm glad they're making a mini-series out of the latter rather than the former, since... well, everyone's already seen the musical. Now people can "see" the book.
@Dave Markham - i haven't seen the musical and i belong to the category of everyone, so ...
I found the books to be super bizarre and pervy and couldn't even finish reading Son of a Witch. Quite sick and perverted if you ask me. I don't understand why ABC would want to do a miniseries on the adult themed book when the musical is so much more family friendly. Granted the musical is far from being The Sound Of Music, Mary Poppins, or any other musical I would want to sit down and watch with the kids, but it beats the heck out of sick and twisted books.
Read the book, saw the musical.
I would watch the miniseries, but they would have to gloss over some of the racier aspects of the book for network television.
I LOVED the musical, but I HATED the book. I agree with David P.--"super bizarre and pervy". Couldn't have said it better myself!
I read the book and saw the musical. I liked both, however, the book is not for children so
ABC will have to think seriously what the target audience for the miniseries would be. It's a dark book and possible too dark for network TV.
Kristen Chennowith please!!!!!
At least we may have another tv/movie mini-series again.
How can anyone possibly hate the book? If it isn't your cup of tea..so be it...but that book is simply filled with fantastic writing, and I have yet to find a book in which I was so completely enveloped in the main character.
Yes, there is sex...but I stopped getting offended (if I ever did) by referencing sexual intercourse, and, in fact, I believe that it did wonders to tie me into the character of Elphaba. It gave me a way to connect to her on a deeper level, rather than simply feeling pity for her.
The musical is fantastic, but the book is equally as fantastic for the proper mature audience, that can appreciate a well versed, and sub-textually explicit novel dealing with themes such as race, oppression, sex, violence, politics, love, and the nature of evil.
Some people enjoy different styles of stories, but it is no secret that this is a fantastic book that is well deserving of its debut (non-musical and changed) on some sort of visual medium.